I'm so glad I finally got to try this place. Everything was great, from the vibes, to the service…read moreand the food! I have also been looking for a sushi that incorporates lemon for a long time now...I was so excited to see that O-ku had one! I had the crispy rice, edamame, salmon & lemon maki, and clouds of white cocktail. I genuinely loved everything; even the tastes I tried of my friend's dishes and cocktails too. The sushi was fresh and some of the best I've had in Raleigh. This place is super cute and cozy. A great atmosphere for a date night or night out with a group. I'll be back for sure.

Let me tell you the WAYYYSSS I love this place: Quality…read moreSushi & ingredients Delicious appetizers ‍ Friendly staffers who go ABOVE & BEYOND I love sushi, but it can be expensive and spending a lot of money on bad sushi is no bueno! I was having a hard time finding a place in Raleigh that served quality ingredient sushi & was worth the price for the quantity. We found ourselves at O-Ku after a friend recommended this place as her favorite sushi in Raleigh. Immediately was impressed, as we came for my birthday & the staff signed a birthday card for me and gave me a surprise dessert. Excellent service! On my 2 year wedding anniversary we came back again bc we loved the sushi the first time and wanted to have delicious food on our special night. The staff once again surprised us with flowers on the table, a special printed menu that said 2nd year Anniversary & a dessert to go. This place is absolutely stunning inside as well. Beautiful restaurant, they also have an intimate outdoor patio with pretty lights. Highly recommend this place for a special occasion or even just a night out if you're looking for the best sushi in Raleigh! Love ya, O-Ku -- we'll be back!

I love this place sooo much! The sushi is amazing. The service is fantastic. The ambiance is…read morelovely! I would get the fired pork belly, poke tuna roll, and mochi for desert!

Today was my 3rd lunch visit at City Market Sushi. The first time I went I ordered the San Bento…read moreBox and loved it so much I've ordered it every time I've been back! Every bite is delicious and fresh - seaweed squid salad, 3 slices of sashimi, 2 pc nigiri, 4 pc spicy tuna roll, eel on rice, and my favorite, the hamachi jalapeño. I think their specialty rolls are on the smaller side for the cost but they're delicious! Unagi Dragon Roll ($21) - the eel on top of each slice is a little crispy. It's so good! Truffle Hamachi Roll ($19) - soft shell crab and cucumber roll topped with spicy yellow tail and crispy garlic chips Service is always outstanding! Parking on the street is extremely limited but there is a large parking garage ($1/hr) around the corner on S. Blount St.

We visited Raleigh from New Jersey for our son's competition at the Raleigh Convention Center, and…read morethis restaurant was one of the highlights of our trip. As Japanese visitors, we're always a bit picky when it comes to Japanese food, but everything we ordered was absolutely delicious and authentic. We enjoyed the Ishiyaki ribeye, ramen, and sushi, and were also impressed by the excellent selection of Japanese beers and sake. We didn't expect to find such high quality Japanese cuisine in Raleigh, and it exceeded our expectations. A special thank you to Marika, who was incredibly kind, welcoming, and attentive throughout our visit. Her warm hospitality made us feel right at home and truly made our dining experience even more memorable. Whether you're visiting Raleigh or live in the area, we highly recommend this restaurant. Thanks to the outstanding food and Marika's exceptional service, this meal will always be one of our favorite memories of our time in Raleigh.

Five stars, no hesitation…read more I heard about Sono Sushi through Resy and finally made it in. It's located in downtown Raleigh on Fayetteville Street, right next to the ABC 11 studios, easy to find and a great spot if you're already downtown. The ambiance is great and fits the food well. There's a nice mix of seating, tables along the windows looking out onto the street, high top tables, traditional dining tables, and a sushi bar if you want to sit up close and watch everything being made. It feels lively without being loud, and works well whether you're there for a date night or a more casual meal. We started with the Aburi appetizer, torched salmon belly, ooba, salmon roe, Japanese seabream, yuzu kosho, and ponzu, and it was outstanding. Everything worked together perfectly, rich, bright, and balanced. I also ordered ikura and ebi, even though I meant to order ama ebi, but no regrets there. Still excellent. We shared the Poke Roll with wakame, avocado, cucumber, mango, tuna, salmon, hamachi, and Sono poke sauce, and it was very good, fresh, flavorful, and well composed without being overdone. My wife ordered the spicy miso ramen and loved it. The broth was the star, deep and comforting, and the pork chashu pieces were massive, in a good way. I went with the chicken katsu curry, panko fried chicken thigh with house curry and koshihikari rice, something I haven't had since Little Tokyo in LA a few years ago, and it tasted like home. Comforting, familiar, and exactly what I was hoping for. For drinks, I ordered the "SONO? SO-YES!" entirely because of the name, but also because I love blood orange. Casamigos Blanco tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, coconut cream, simple syrup, and blood orange juice, it was excellent. My only complaint is that I wanted more of it. My wife got the Okinawa Spritz, a play on an Aperol spritz with passionfruit, and it was even better than the original. We finished with the yuzu cheesecake. I debated between that and the ube cheesecake, but since this is a Japanese restaurant, yuzu felt right, and it absolutely delivered. Overall, everything from the food to the drinks hit. This is a place I would happily return to, and honestly, I'm already looking forward to the next visit.

Had a phenomenal experience from start to finish. The interior is darker, decorated with sleek…read morebubble accents that created a romantically modern ambiance. Even the restroom reflected an impressive attention to detail- immaculately maintained and elevated with amenities such as lotion, Q-tips, and climate control. This spot is good for a fancy date night! My husband opted for the lunch special, which included soup, salad, curry, and a side of sushi. He absolutely raved about the curry. I chose the fish wontons alongside the Raleigh roll, which was exceptional; the addition of mango on top was perfect with the lobster tempura for me. I am also always appreciative when a sushi place can accommodate my addiction to add cream cheese to any roll- they made it work! Service was prompt and attentive. The green tea leaned slightly earthy for my taste, but it did little to detract from an otherwise outstanding meal. I would gladly return and recommend this spot to groups seeking high-quality sushi in a polished setting.

I've heard lots about Ajisai and have walked past it many times…read more It was a gorgeous Friday evening. Many were seated outside, but since I was a party of 1, I decided to sit at the bar. Bin was my server, he was great. I started with the grilled scallops, they were small, but were grilled & seasoned perfectly. I then ordered the Alaskan Roll & the Ajisai Roll. Both so fresh and delicious. I enjoyed the experience. There's great ambiance, it's vibrant and modern. There's plenty of seating at the bar. There are plenty of tables inside and several outside.

We went with friends recently and I am finally posting my review. It was such a great experience…read morethat I had to think how to put it into words. The staff were kind and professional. The amtosphere was dialed in with beautiful cherry blossom trees, beautiful murals, and unique lighting. We went with the all you can eat combined hot pot and sushi. I have not eaten so much in such a long time! We ate so much it took us a moment to digest and head out. We had full access to all the food on the menu, you do pay separately for alcohol. All of the meat was delicious and perfectly cut. The sushi rolls are a set amount of pieces but the nigiri and sashimi you select how many pieces you would like. It is not like the typical two set or three set. That was one thing that I wish was clearer in the ordering process. There is also a sauce bar with extra little desserts and fruit so definitely check that out. There were many people around it so I did not feel comfortable taking s photo. If you are looking for an affordable all you can eat option that is delicious, please come check it out!

Umiya is a beautiful restaurant! I adored the decorations and vibe. A lot of AYCE restaurants feel…read morecrowded, but Umiya was so open. The service was great from beginning to end. My husband and I came for their AYCE Sushi & Hotpot lunch, which was $26.95 per person. The food was all really good, I was so busy eating I didn't take very many pictures haha. They have a sauce bar with plenty of options too. Ordering is easy with an iPad, and I loved that each item had a picture with it, super helpful when picking out what to order! Hot Pot: You each get your own individual hot pot. I got Beef Butter and my husband got Szechuan Spicy (I liked both broths). All the hotpot meats were good, and the udon noodles and Napa cabbage really soaked up the broths. I loved the pork dumplings as well! Sushi: I loved the Tuna and Salmon Tataki (it was nice to get some fish without rice). We tried 3 different specialty rolls, and I thought all of them were delicious. You can also order sushi by the piece, which is great when you want more but can't fit a whole roll! Other: I loved the shrimp tempura and jalapeño tempura. I've never had jalapeño tempura before, but this is probably one of my new favorite things! The pork gyoza was good too. If I lived closer, I would eat here all the time!

We celebrated my husband's birthday at Waraji last night and he was absolutely in Heaven. He raved…read moreabout the sushi as did our friends that we went with. They all said it was the best sushi they've ever had. I was super impressed by the expansive drink menu. I ordered a nice red blend and plan to order a Sake flight next time. I loved the atmosphere and didn't realize it was so big inside. Our server was super nice and helpful when ordering. I ordered the teriyaki chicken without onions and our server was so awesome that she let me know that the ginger dressing on my salad contained onions. She wanted to make sure I didn't have an allergy. How amazing?! The chicken teriyaki and the veggies it was served with were absolutely AMAZING! Seriously, IDK what they did to those veggies but this may have been the best meal I've ever had! They gave my husband a scoop of mango icecream with a candle in it for his birthday. Love that! We are looking forward to our next visit to Waraji.

Lovely place that feels very intimate and personal. Been a few times now and the food is wonderful…read moreeach time we go. Tempura and sushi are excellent. Incredibly fresh and beautiful presentation each time. The sushi chefs are truly the stars of this place! It is usually very busy so honestly servers can sometimes be hit or miss thus we prefer to sit at the bar when we go. It is worth it. You also must have a reservation if you want to sit at a table for dinner. A favorite that we will come back to again and again!

Got the quesabirria taco and the let's roll. Roll was good, but there was no tail on the tempura…read moreshrimp which surprised me. I'm guessing some people would like that, but I missed it. It was drowning in the sauces so I just wiped it off, but good nonetheless. The quesabirria taco was SO good. So crispy. Flavorful. I'll be back soon and continue dreaming of that taco!!! Service was professional and polite.

Here's a polished version of your Yelp review:…read more Their sushi and sashimi is great. We go back at least monthly for their amazing and unique rolls. The only thing on the menu I would not recommend is the Birria Bun - It's a bit bland to be nice and they don't serve it with any consommé, which is a huge bummer

The have tough figures of Godzilla…read more Me and the boys are a crap ton and it was amazing Eat the dumpling

Finally. A GREAT ramen place…read more Everything was wonderful. The bao were light and the right kind of fluffy. The side crab was great. The handrolls were beautifully crafted. The soup...oh the soup! Mmm... Warm and cozy insides.. The fish was fresh but that broth. That took time. Thick broth with perfectly cooked egg and pork. The toppings were pretty and delicious..I could go on but trust me just go try it.